The Prophet smirked. "I fear it is a dangerous path that you walk—like along the top of a sand dune. One misstep, possibly not even by you, would end in a very long fall."
Hammerhand nodded. "I know, but it's a path I've chosen to take. Honestly, if it is the wrong path to follow, I'm not sure there are any other paths out there for me. If I find there is no trust to be found in my fellow man, this isn't a world I want to live in. Truly, I would rather die than live in it, even if my end comes by my own hand."
"I understand and applaud your courage. I do pray that your faith is rewarded in this instance."
"Yeah…me too."
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Jessica13 had expected the trials to get underway immediately once the gallows were in place, but it appeared that Mayor Jones preferred to take his time. Perhaps he wanted the population of Auburn to calm after the day that had preceded it.
She found a place to hunker for the night and despite feeling exhausted, sleep didn't come. All she could think about was Robert7 being called, someone putting the noose around his neck, and making him hang from it.
Maybe meeting and talking to the people she was supposed to be killing was a bad idea. It had been somewhat easier when she had simply fired at those who were hidden by mechs and they returned the shots and tried to kill her in return.
But as morning dawned, there was little she could do aside from push herself out of the improvised cot that had been set up for her. It wasn’t specifically for her, of course. There were a few dozen of them set up in the tent. She was the first one up of the group and made her way to where Mini had been parked.
Even so, a hubbub issued from the center of town despite the early hour. Apparently, the trial had already started and she had to be there to study the proceedings herself.
"Damn."
"Did you get any sleep at all?" Mini asked as she climbed inside the mech.
"I tossed and turned mostly. Does that count?"
"It does not."
"Well, it doesn't look like I’ll get any more, so why don't we hurry to the gallows where they want to start those trials Mayor Jones talked about?
The people grew louder as they moved closer and the crowd grew by the second. Even though their numbers increased, they showed no signs of the apparent rampage they had been on the day before. It was like they had accepted the fact that there was now a system in place to punish the people who had wronged them, although Jessica13 wasn't sure how long that would last.
What if the tribunal delivered a sentence they didn't approve of? Maybe if Jones had told the truth and they intended to give them fair trials, those few who would walk free might find themselves in less forgiving company among the other townsfolk.
After what she had seen the day before, nothing would surprise her, at this point, and she could only hope her negativity was misplaced.
Jessica13 climbed out of the mech, and while she could hear Mini take control of the Minato and follow close behind her, it was easier to slip through the crowd that had begun to form on her own. She was still smaller than most of the people gathered there, which gave her some advantage as she wriggled closer to where she could see the tribunal already seated and waiting for their first prisoner.
Cautiously, she looked around and her gaze settled on the huddle of townsfolk she recognized as having been incarcerated with the enemy pilots. The five of them weren’t bound but they stood under the watchful eye of one of the militia and all seemed numb and dispirited. From what she could tell, they had been forced to watch the proceedings from as close as possible—a position that also placed them in full view of the crowd.
The previous signs around their necks had been replaced with new ones that said, I Betrayed My Neighbors For Money. The length of the wording made them larger than the others and also heavier, and they fumbled with them constantly as if to ease the drag around their necks.
It surprised her that they had been separated from the others, but before she could consider this further, a group of prisoners was led to the scaffold and she identified Robert7 climbing the steps. He was at the front of the line of five, while the others were put under guard and held behind the gallows, where they would await their sentencing.
She could only assume that seeing their comrades hung would be an added terror element to the trial and one that had not been accidental.
Mayor Jones was seated in the middle of the table, and to his left was Wilbur, the leader of the militia. If she had to guess, he was the one whose idea it had been to put the prisoners below the gallows.
A woman was also seated at the table and looked middle-aged, but there was something desperate about the way she looked at the prisoners that made Jessica13 a little nervous. She thought she recalled her name—Claire Jennings—and vaguely remembered being told that her children and grandchildren had been murdered by raiders. The angry, twisted expression seemed to confirm this, and her attitude engendered no encouragement. The woman was clearly bitter, and her inclusion in the tribunal could not be good for those on trial.
The city’s leader finally stood and beat a wooden cup on the table in front of him to silence the crowd. "By the authority vested in me by the good people of Auburn, I bring this tribunal to order. We will begin immediately. Prisoner Robert7, please step forward."
The man did as he was told, nudged by one of the militiamen who stood behind him.
"Are there any present who would represent this man?" Wilbur asked. He looked hastily around the crowd and made no attempt to listen for any who might have agreed. "None have stepped forward to represent the prisoner, so he will represent himself."
It wasn't like anyone would have stepped forward anyway.
Mayor Jones looked at the papers in front of him. "In the case of prisoner Robert7, who is accused of the crime of conspiring to and participating in the attack on the town of Auburn, how does the prisoner plead?"
Robert7 looked around, unsure of what he had been asked.
"Innocent," he said finally to the jeers and boos of the crowd.
"Then we shall proceed. We have found evidence that you were among the invaders and you have been recognized as one of the pilots of the mechs that participated in the attack. Witnesses have stated that you are not a citizen of the town of Auburn and you were among those that participated. Do you deny any of these facts as they have been presented?"
Robert7 looked panicked and more people jeered at him. They were all anticipating and likely hoping for a quick execution.
"I… Well, I was in the attack, but—"
"The prisoner admits his guilt and part in the attack," Wilbur interrupted, unable to keep a smile from his face.
Jessica13 tasted the bile in her mouth again but this time, there was no need to get away from the scene as quickly as possible. She wanted to act and she wouldn’t simply wait for the sham trial to continue. Instead, she shoved through the last line of people who were held back from the scaffold.
"What are you doing?" Mini asked from behind her.
She ignored the AI and pushed forward, shrugged off the hands of the militiaman who tried to stop her approach, and sprinted into the open area between the gallows and the tribunal table.
"When you asked whether the prisoner would be represented by anyone in the crowd, you did not wait for a reply," she shouted as loudly as her lungs would allow. "I will represent the prisoner."
The militiaman tried to catch her but stopped when Jones motioned him away.
"The selection of representation has passed," Wilbur noted with the hint of a sneer. "You will have to wait for another prisoner to be tried and represent him."
"You didn't allow time for someone to step forward," Jessica13 snapped in response, unsure of where all this bravery had come from. She wasn't about to question it now, however, as she had more important things to focus on.
Before Wilbur could say another word, Jones patted him on the shoulder. "As presiding judge over this trial, I will allow Jessica13 to re
present Robert7. Do I hear a second?"
The woman beside him stared daggers at her but nodded slowly.
"Seconded," Jones said softly. "And passed. You may take your place next to the prisoner."
A few of the jeers and boos were directed at her now.
"The bunker types always stick together."
"Sympathizer!"
"Go fuck Lady Hoot if that's what you want."
She ignored them and climbed the steps to where Robert7 stood. He stared at her and looked confused.
"What are you doing?" he whispered.
"I'll let you know when I find out." Her voice was also in a whisper but gained volume when she addressed the three seated below. "If there is anything I learned from my time fighting alongside the Knights Mechanica, it is this. Any man or woman can find a way to redeem their past actions. The crime of following orders and being a soldier in the army that attacked Auburn is determined. But I have to ask, what do we gain from executing him? What does the town of Auburn stand to gain from killing him when he can instead atone for his actions and help us better than he would be able to do by hanging from a rope?"
The shouting, jeering, and booing stopped for a moment, and she wondered if her point had actually come across.
Wilbur snorted and shook his head in disbelief. Mayor Jones revealed no emotion on his features, which was contrasted sharply by the woman seated beside him. Claire had turned a deep shade of purple and she bolted out of her seat.
"I say based on those of our loved ones who suffered under the oppression of Lady Hoot and those who died deposing her. In their name, we would benefit from seeing the man hang. Fuck whatever help he claims he could offer us. He'll say anything to avoid the rope."
The crowd rumbled in agreement, and Jessica13 was surprised when Robert7 stepped forward. Maybe seeing someone stand up for him was enough to give him the courage to defend himself.
"I can help!" he shouted. "I know you're trying to fight against FEMA City, and if you want to have any chance to attack them, you will need to find a way in that bypasses the defenses. I know of a secret way inside and I will share it with you if you free me and the other FEMA City soldiers."
"What about the raiders?" Jessica13 asked in a whisper.
"What about them?" he retorted.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
All three of the judges conferred for a moment, and the people around them did not sound happy. They didn’t want any conversation that didn’t confirm that the prisoner would hang.
Mayor Jones stood from his seat and banged his improvised gavel on the table to silence the crowd. "I have to ask, Robert7, why would you offer us such a deal, especially as it would be considered a betrayal of your own people? Why should we trust that your information would be accurate?"
Robert7 was silent for a moment and looked like he was working up the courage to continue to speak, especially since the jeering continued from the people around the gallows. "I was not born in FEMA City. My people are from the Hall of Ecologists, a separate bunker system. FEMA City’s military government put us under martial law and forcibly conscripted us to fight for them."
Wilbur was already shaking his head. Jessica13 knew that if Hammerhand had been present for this, he would have been at least willing to hear the man out. But from the look of the other two judges, she could tell they would not be moved by what he said. She clenched her jaw as Mayor Jones took his seat again and folded his arms.
"The prisoner cannot be trusted," he said and used his curt voice to silence the people who had begun to get loud again. "This could be a trick. People might stand in your position and say anything we might want to hear to avoid the rope."
"We have to give him a chance!" Jessica13 protested.
"You are too close to this," Jones retorted caustically and looked annoyed by her persistence. "You are a young woman, and he is a young man. Besides, how can we possibly trust him? He is willing to betray his own people by what he says that he will give us, and so what would keep him from betraying us when the time is right?"
Heat blossomed in her cheeks and intensified, and not only from the rising sun beating down on them. The way the people reacted to seeing Robert7 in front of them seemed to light a furnace of indignation in her. They demanded more violence despite the fact that they had been through a fight for their lives. It was as if they wanted to find a way to somehow keep the wave of violence in motion since it had ended in their favor.
She wondered how they would feel if the positions had been reversed and they were on trial for following orders in a military they didn't want to be a part of.
The heat grew steadily, and Jessica13 clenched her fists. "This is bullshit and you know it!"
Miraculously, the people quieted and ceased their renewed demands that he be hanged immediately. They looked at her, startled by her very obvious anger.
"The fighting isn't over," she continued and forced herself to look away from Jones, Wilbur, and Claire. It seemed that even looking at them was enough to make her pissed again.
She dragged in a deep breath and glared at the crowd. "The Knights Mechanica, our desert-based allies, and fighters who hail from this very town are out there, fighting a war to keep this town free right fucking now. Do you think they would turn their noses up at an advantage that would allow them to win that fight? Or do you think they would allow their bloodlust to get in the way of victory? And do you really believe they would prefer to see every person here hang? And for what reason? Why does this man need to die? And if he dies, how many of our people will die fighting because you refuse any help he offers?"
Her gaze swept across all present, genuinely searching for an answer they might have for her. Maybe they understood the situation better than she did. Perhaps they simply knew better than to trust someone like Robert7 and so wouldn’t listen to her.
But if they had a reason to refuse his help, they had better explain it. She let the question hang expectantly and from the look of shame she could see in the eyes of the people around her, she knew there was no answer. They wanted him to die—wanted all of the City's fighters to die—but they had no real reason for it aside from a desire for revenge for the death and destruction of their town.
The silence in the square was deafening and the crowd around them appeared to be subdued, but the three judges looked unaffected. Wilbur smirked, and when she looked at him, she could see him clapping sarcastically. The woman at Jones' side still looked furious, while the mayor himself showed no emotion whatsoever.
Finally, he stood and took a deep breath before he spoke. "Justice must be served, and even if what Robert7 said is true, we still cannot let his willingness to turn against his own people stand in the way of the justice he deserves." She opened her mouth to speak again, but he held his hand up to silence her. "The moment for deliberation has approached, and the tribunal will confer and deliver our sentence in due time."
Jessica13 wanted to say more and even to stamp her feet and insist that they answer her, but she stopped herself. She couldn't ask for there to be a system of law in place only to become angry and insolent when it delivered in a way she didn't like.
Robert7 placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you. For everything."
She tried to smile but failed utterly and made it look more like a grimace. "I'm so sorry."
Once she’d climbed down from the scaffold, she didn't feel comfortable enough to rejoin the crowd. Even though they were subdued, there was no telling what they would attempt if she was there with them. Mini had moved the Minato to the front of the group, likely in case she needed to make a quick getaway if the crowd turned on her.
But there wasn't a single man, woman, or child among them who was willing to look her in the eye. At least that much of an impact had been made.
The decision was a quick one, and Jones banged his cup on the table again to get their attention.
"We have agreed that there will be no clemency given for information," he said, and his voice carried
easily through the quiet courtyard. "Robert7, for the crimes you have committed against the city and people of Auburn, you will hang by the neck until dead."
The crowd cheered. Jessica13 wondered if it was as loudly as they could have had she not tried to fight for Robert7's life, but it didn't matter. The end result would be the same.
Chapter Sixty
"Go, go, go!"
Hammerhand gestured for the last group to enter the elevator. It was one of the older models, the kind that most bunkers had already upgraded from. The knowledge told him that these tunnels to the City hadn't been used for a generation, maybe longer.
He stepped into it once everyone else was inside. There was barely enough room for the Excalibur. It wasn't the most practical of mechs to use in the close confines of the tunnels if there was any need to fight in them. The size of the mech would be a disadvantage, and he hoped that the only combat they would see was when they were already in the town.
Still, the shield would be there to block any shooting from ahead of them, which would allow them to push forward and deliver significant damage every time he needed to drop it to cool off.
It wasn't the worst position to be in, especially since they would catch the FEMA forces on the back foot.
The elevator thudded to a halt and Hammerhand was the first to step out. He hefted his weapon in one hand and raised the other down the fork of the tunnel they would not move down.
The Prophet wouldn't be able to see his gesture, but it was more for his own peace of mind.
"Good luck, my friend," his ally said over the comms. "I wanted to say before we go out of range in these damn tunnels that I trust you. I may not feel the same about our new allies, but my trust in you will never waver."
"You have earned my respect and my trust as well, Prophet. Now, let's finish this fight once and for all. I'll meet you on the other side."
Bulletfoot One Page 62
